Characters generated by content processing applications for use with computer displays and printers are sometimes provided in a form that allows expansion of the characters by increasing font size. Increasing font size of a character increases the size of all aspects of the character. Increasing font size of a character increases the height and width of the character, the thickness and length of the lines that make up the character, as well as the length and width of the spaces between those lines.
In some cases, however, it is desirable to increase just one aspect of the size of a character, such as increasing only the height without increasing the thickness of the lines, or the width of the character. For example, in a mathematical operation that includes the symbol for integration, it is desirable for the integration symbol to be as tall as the equation, which may contain multiple levels of characters of the same font size as the integral symbol. Similarly, a matrix of numbers or mathematical characters may be surrounded by square brackets that must be several times the height of the numbers in the matrix, but preferably have lines that are approximately the same thickness as the lines of the numbers and crossbars that are approximately the same width as one of the numbers. Increasing the font size of a square bracket would result in lines that are too thick and crossbars that are too wide.
Content processing applications exist that are able to adjust only the height or only the width of certain specially designed characters, without adjusting the other dimension or the thickness of the lines of the characters. However, these content processing applications require that a person (e.g., a font designer) designs the characters with such height adjustments in mind and includes extra data to allow the linear extension of the characters.